2012 Pre-owned Mitsubishi I-miev Se on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ever wonder how to really pronounce Japanese automaker names?

People tend to get very set in their ways when it comes to the pronunciation of words. Just look at the endless debates over whether or not to say the final 'e' in Porsche (which you should in terms of correct German enunciation). Or the argument about whether to follow the British convention and give the 'u' in Jaguar a special delivery or to say the 'ua' diphthong as more of a 'w' sound, as usually happens in the US.
This short video doesn't answer either of those automotive questions, but it does allow a native Japanese speaker to demonstrate the accepted pronunciations for several, major automakers from the country. One benefit is that it clears up the occasional debate over whether Nissan should be said with a long or short 'i' sound. Also, listen closely to how the female host says Mazda as Matsuda, the way it's actually said in the language. Even if this doesn't change the way you enunciate these brands, at least now you know the accurate way in Japanese.

Mitsubishi president resigns in wake of fuel economy scandal

Mitsubishi has announced the resignation of two of its top executives as the company is embroiled in a scandal over its fuel-economy figures. Chief among the resignations is Tetsuro Aikawa, the company's president and chief operating officer (pictured above at left, bowing), who assumed the position less than two years ago. Joining Aikawa-san on the way out is Ryugo Nakao, one of three executive vice presidents of the company and the man responsible for product planning and quality at Mitsubishi. Though two of his principal deputies are leaving, the top executive at Mitsubishi retains his seat for the time being. Osamu Masuko (pictured above at right, seated) serves as both chairman and CEO, however with Nissan assuming over a third of the company's ownership, Masuko-san could still be replaced. A shareholders meeting is scheduled for June 24, when Aikawa and Nakao's resignations are set to take effect. According to the statement below, the company "will decide on the successors of both Representative Directors at our board of directors' meeting and make an announcement promptly." The resignations of the top officials come in the wake of revelations that Mitsubishi had falsely reported the fuel-economy figures of its vehicles for decades. The broadening scandal was uncovered when Nissan tested vehicles which Mitsubishi manufactures on its behalf and found discrepancies. As his company prepares to take control of the ailing automaker, Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn says that the greatest challenge will be restoring Mitsubishi's reputation. In a similar development, Suzuki also admitted to improper fuel-economy testing. The rival automaker claims that the measures were taken without the knowledge of senior management. Related Video: Personnel Changes (Resignation) of Members of the Board Tokyo, May 18, 2016 - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced resignation of members of the board as follows: 1. Member of the Board who will resign Tetsuro Aikawa President and COO, Representative Director Ryugo Nakao Executive Vice President, Representative Director 2. Reason for resignations As our announcement today on the Report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism concerning improper conduct in fuel consumption testing of vehicles manufactured by MMC shows, MMC has caused tremendous trouble and concern to our customers and all of our stakeholders. Considering this, Mr. Aikawa and Mr.

Japanese earthquakes send ripples through auto industry

The earthquakes since April 14 in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu are having aftershocks on the US auto industry, particularly for Toyota. The company shut down most of its factories in the country due to parts shortages, and the plants will be closed at least through April 23. "Decisions regarding recommencement of operation at plants in Japan will be made on the basis of availability of parts," the company said in a statement. According to Automotive News, Toyota's closed factories include a vast range of popular models in the US, including the Toyota Prius, Mirai, RAV4, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Lexus ES, LS, IS, GS, RC, NX, RX, GX, and LX. The company's only sites in Japan that are still open build Hino trucks, Daihatsu models, and the Toyota Century limo. Toyota isn't yet sure whether these shutdowns could lead to vehicle shortages in the US. "As you can imagine, we are still reviewing the situation and working to learn more," company spokesperson Aaron Fowles told Autoblog. "While we know that production will be suspended in stages at most of our vehicle assembly facilities in Japan between April 18th and the 23rd, we do not know if they will continue production suspensions. Also, any effects to our inventory and/or sales have yet to be determined." He expects the automaker to know more in the coming days. Many of the affected Toyota plants aren't even in Kumamoto Prefecture, but major suppliers have factories in the region. For example, Aisin Seiki and Renesas Electronics both had to shutdown operations at plants in the area, according to Automotive News. Toyota isn't the only automaker affected. Nissan experienced a brief slowdown but was back to work on Monday, and Honda has suspended a motorcycle plant in the region until Friday. Mitsubishi had to close a production line due to the parts shortage, according to The Japan Times, but it didn't affect US models. "A supplier to our Mizushima plant has been impacted but they only supply an engine part for our mini car line. That line has been temporarily shut down due to that situation," spokesperson Alex Fedorak told Autoblog. "That same plant builds the Lancer and i-MiEv and there has been no impact to that line and production continues uninterrupted." Two major quakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture around Kumamoto city in the past week. The first on April 14 measured 6.4 magnitude, and a second on April 16 measured 7.3.